The FM Library

It has been some time since we last did one of the 11 Question Series and thought it was about time to bring it back. It aims to give some insight into how various content creators’ got into the Football Manager series and share some of their memories across the different releases, share their thoughts on other content creators, and generally just open up a little about themselves.

To kick off the return of the series we have none other than @FM__Addict. Since joining the blogging world he has become known for his epic blog series series spanning multiple decades in each iteration of the game.

1. Creator name & what made you choose it:

Football Manager Addict. I remember reading an Iain Macintosh article titled “Is being addicted to Football Manager a medical condition?” which tickled me and I thought it’d be an interesting name for a website. But I feel like it kind of sums up my relationship with the game over the last 20 years or so.

2. Real name:

Rob Latham

3. Favourite football team:

Bolton Wanderers

4. Talk me through your FM journey – where does it start?

I think my first taste of football management was playing a game called Manchester United In Europe with my brother when I was about 10. But the fire was stoked by playing games like Premier Manager 98 and Ultimate Soccer Manager 98, then having all-night sessions at a friend’s house managing Bolton and Derby led by Zambian superstars on Championship Manager 97/98. Then I played CM 00/01 religiously at University when I probably should have been studying. 

I carried on playing the game a little, but not particularly religiously until (I think) FM 2015. I had a save with Newcastle in which Gabriel Barbosa broke the club’s all-time goalscoring record and I think that dragged me back into the game.

5. Ok, you’ve been playing the game, what made you jump from “player” to “creator” and how have you found the journey?

The move from player to creator began in 2016. I’d started watching a few guys making YouTube content – specifically Second Yellow Card’s Rebuilding series – and enjoyed following their stories. I thought about giving that a go but, as a trained journalist and copywriter, video creation wasn’t my game. So instead, I decided to start blogging about the game. 

I started writing content for FM Blog with a three-part series about managing a Cristiano Ronaldo-less Real Madrid when the then-winger was ruled out for nine months with a cruciate ligament injury. That inspired me to keep writing about FM by starting my own blog, but I was already busy with work and writing for a Bolton fanzine. I eventually got it off the ground in 2018, kicking off with a couple of test saves before an epic adventure with Atalanta. And from there, I was hooked on FM blogging. 

I’ve really enjoyed the journey since, particularly an FM20 journey with Raith Rovers and an awesome save with my team Bolton Wanderers, leading them out of financial chaos to become the best team in the world (who says FM isn’t realistic?). But one of the things I’ve enjoyed most is creating my own challenges, such as Soviet Surge, in which I attempted to win every league in Eastern Europe, and OstDeutscher Sieg, an attempt to become the first manager to win Bundesliga with an East German club. 

6. What’s your style of play? Within the library we have a couple of guys who plough through seasons letting the Assistant Manager do the vast majority of stuff, mainly getting into the late 2060s trying to complete bizarre and random challenges, but we also have guys who are very much into the finite detail and will manage every aspect and would consider a save done after 5 or 6 seasons. Where do you fit within the scale? There is, of course, no incorrect answer..

I probably lean towards the former. My favourite element of FM is snapping up newgen wonderkids, as that gives my saves a unique element and I feel more affinity towards these “pretend” characters. Which I admit is probably a bit weird! As a result, I like to crack through the game pretty quickly without handing over total control to my assistant. For example, my FM22 Aventuras Américas game went all the way through to 2091, when my manager was over 100 years old, and I discovered FM couldn’t count beyond 100 years of age, so I do love a long adventure.

But at the same time, I like to have total control of my club. I’ll let the assistant take control of things like training, staff meetings, friendly matches and, especially on FM23, press conferences. But I’m hands-on with things like player interaction, transfer activity, scouting, individual training and hiring staff – for example, I’ll never hire a Director of Football, Technical Director or Loan Manager, as I can do that myself.

7. Favourite version/save? Any particular bittersweet/comic/down right depressing memories?

My favourite save has to be Trotters Talent with Bolton on FM21. It was a ridiculous journey that took us from League 2 and massive financial struggles to becoming the best team in the world. And newgens like German Martínez and Onur Kocaaslan become absolute heroes. My Crazy Gang adventure with AFC Wimbledon was enjoyable as we prioritised players with dirtiness and high work rate, then signed Vinicius Junior and again had some ridiculous newgens like little Italian striker Eli. But I’ve loved journeys like exploring South America and creating an entirely homegrown team at Envigado in my Wonderkid Factory save on FM23.

My journey across South America on Aventuras Américas saw relegation from the Chilean top tier, which was downright unfair as one of the teams above us didn’t have its points deduction applied at the end of the season! And we also got sacked from my protagonist’s home nation of Colombia after an abject Copa America campaign. While my first attempt at the East German save got cut short as we got relegated from the German third tier with Zwickau, which meant an immediate sacking.

8. Which bloggers do you always make sure that you read?

I try to follow the stories of all the guys on the FM Library Discord server. But I particularly like reading guys like Rock’s End FM, Lutterworth Fox, Madd FM, My FM Story, FM Stag, The Technical Area and Steinkelsson FM. Fuller FM has some great content on retro games (even if he hated FM23) and Coxie FM and Korky Blues have some fun save ideas.

9. Who within the community, seriously impresses you – produces the type of content that you just think “Wow, I couldn’t even contemplate producing stuff to at that level?”

I mentioned Second Yellow Card earlier, and he always creates content that I love. I particularly enjoy story-based content, so I love the journeys of YouTubers like Cultured Left Foot – whose youth-only series with Guiseley on FM23 is amazing – FM Load and BoodFM. I’ll also always watch Lollujo’s Non-League To Legend series, Omega Luke’s Rebuilding series with his Dad is highly entertaining, and Zealand produces some excellent content, particularly some of his non-FM-specific videos.

10. What puts you off reading other creators’ blogs – what makes you click that “X” button in the top right of the page?

As a copywriter, anything with spelling mistakes or content that’s difficult to read or follow frustrates me. I also enjoy a bit of a struggle, which is relatively rare to read about or watch in FM content. And anything related to Chelsea or Man UFC rebuilds is an instant X for me.

11. Ok, final question.. I have 5 minutes and I have a list of blogs in front of me – In 100 words, why should I click on your blog…

I aim to bring you entertaining stories and take you on journeys into clubs and leagues you might not normally consider. Alongside the story-based content, I like to run the occasional FM experiment with random databases. We also have loads of FM Guides on how to get the best out of FM – from how-to guides and how to make the game look pretty to recommendations for teams to manage. And if you like newgen wonderkids, then FM Addict is definitely the place for you!

From all of us @TheFMLibrary, I’d like to thank @FM__Addict for taking the time to complete our wee questionnaire and urge everyone to both give him a follow on Twitter and subscribe to his blog.

To anyone else who would like to get their name out there and do a wee bit of shameless self-promotion please feel free to message us on Twitter or sign up to our discord server.